04-03-19 Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District MinutesBoard of Directors Meeting
Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District
April 3, 2019
3:00 pm
Location: Kalispell Chamber Conference Room
Minutes
Board Members Present: Zac Ford, Dawn Hendrickson, Sean Morris, Lucy Weeder, Dan Moderie, Emily
Schroeder
Board Members Absent: Janet Clark
Staff Present: Diane Medler, Vonnie Day
Guests: Scott Rieke, Best Western Flathead Lake Inn & Suites
Meeting was called to order by Chair Zac Ford at 3:05 pm.
1. Hear from the Public — none
2. Board Action Items
a. Approval of minutes from March 6, 2019:
Motion was made by Dawn Hendrickson to approve the minutes. Motion was seconded by Emily
Schroeder. Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
b. Approval of TBID financial statements for February, 2019:
Motion was made by Dawn Hendrickson to approve the financial statements. Motion was seconded by
Lucy Weeder. Discussion: None. Board approved unanimously.
c. Approval of FY20 budget and marketing plan narrative. Motion was made by Janet Clark to approve
the FY20 budget as proposed. Motion was seconded by Sean Morris.
Discussion: approval of the FY20 budget was tabled at the March meeting due to ongoing discussion of
Kalispell Chambers request for an additional $7,900 to reimburse for services provided by Chamber staff
to or on behalf of the CVB. Joe provided building usage cost analysis and a current appraisal to account
for the additional $7,900 requested. CVB rent will increase from $700/mth ($8,400/yr) to $1,358/mth
($16,296/yr). In FY19 the TBID budget covered $7,700 of rent, $700 from bed tax. The requested $7,900
increase in rent for FY20 is in the bed tax budget. Funds will be moved from consumer and group
marketing — Media Buy to cover the increase in Administration costs. The board discussed sending a
letter to the Chamber board expressing concern about the significant increase in administrative costs
being requested for FY20. The decrease in the overall marketing dollars for the CVB impacts the
effectiveness of the marketing initiatives for both TBID and bed tax. There was discussion of increasing
the TBID nightly fee at the TBID renewal in May 2020 to offset the loss of marketing funds. Board
approved unanimously.
Motion was made by Dawn Hendrickson to approve the FY20 Marketing Narrative. Motion was
seconded by Emily Schroeder.
Discussion: none. Board approved unanimously.
d. Approval of application(s) to fill expiring board seat for a medium category property. Recommendation
will be sent to City Council for approval. Applicants included Bryce Baker (My Place) and Dan Moderie
(Super 8). A motion was made by Dawn Hendrickson to approve the application of Bryce Baker to fill the
medium category property seat. Motion was seconded by Lucy Weeder. Discussion: Dan expressed
willingness to withdraw his application to allow Bryce who represents the TBID's newest property to join
the board. Board approved unanimously.
e. A motion was made by Sean Morris to approve the following slate of officers to serve from May 1, 2019
through April 30, 2020: Dawn Hendrickson, chair; Emily Schroeder, Vice -Chair; Sean Morris, Treasurer.
Recommendation will be sent to City Council for approval. Discussion: none. Board approved
unanimously.
3. Board Discussion
a. Event updates:
Montana Indoor Soccer Championship — the event went well with 45 teams from Spokane, Sandpoint,
Nelson, Cranbrook, Calgary, Bozeman, Helena, Polson, Missoula and the Flathead Valley competing.
Survey responses have been very positive about the event. Most out-of-town respondents indicated
they had stayed in hotels with very few opting for vacation rentals. Event merchandise was created
on -site and on -demand with the tournament netting about $400.
The Spartan Race takes place May 4-5. Vendors have been lined up and volunteers are needed. In
2020, the event will take place on Mother's Day Weekend.
b. Event grant updates:
Northern Rodeo Finals is planning to submit a grant request to help cover venue costs for an event the
end of September or October, 2019. 110 rodeo contestants are expected. The grant application will be
presented at the May board meeting. A local Harlequin Rabbits organization is exploring the possibility
of doing their association's national show in Kalispell. Missoula hosted the national show 5 years ago.
c. Marketing Updates
i. Flathead More Than Just Forests - Discover Kalispell and Glacier Country sponsored a film that
highlights peak -season outdoor activities in the Flathead National Forest and outside Glacier
Park. The film was released nationally and shared by campaign partners such as National
Geographic, Outdoors and The Weather Channel. Discover Kalispell will have use of high
resolution imagery and B-roll. The DK logo is included on the video and other promotional
materials with a link to a campaign landing page.
ii. Strategic plan draft review —consultant Carl Ribaudo's report contains recommendations
for molding Kalispell's brand as a destination distinct from Whitefish or Bozeman and shifting
emphasis from Kalispell's identity as a hub or gateway. Some of the findings from the
strategic plan will be incorporated into the FY20 marketing plan. Board discussed importance
of having the right agency to define the brand/marketing messaging based on this new
strategic direction. Diane recommends that an RFP for a branding agency be issued.
Branding services would be contracted in addition to the agency services provided by the
Beacon. Diane will solicit estimates for that work. Other points discussed that were sparked
by Carl's report were:
• It was recommended that we rethink the seasonal strategy and consider whether our
winter ads create more business for Whitefish.
• Should we consider another winter event.
• What opportunities will FVCC's new performing arts center offer.
iii. Website and content marketing — Dawn has received inquiries from meeting planners who
have found DK information through Google search. Meche received double the
requests for visitor guides in January, 2019 as in January, 2018 and downloads from the
website are up. Flathead Beacon Productions is managing SEO and SEM well.
iv. Other updates:
Diane attended three travel shows in February and March. All are good markets for
Kalispell yet each has a unique cost vs. benefit:
• The LA Show — large event with 38,000 attendees. There was a lot of interest in our
area and the direct flight, however the show is expensive and difficult for one person to
manage. Recommendation: continue to attend if a partner will share the cost.
• The Great Spokane Outdoors and Bike Expo — smaller show with 6,000 attendees. Much
less expensive to participate and an effective way to reach the eastern Washington
drive market. Recommendation: continue to participate.
• Calgary Outdoor Travel and Adventure Show—11,000 attendees. There was a lot of
interest in Kalispell, many inquiries about camping. Recommendation: continue to
participate as competition for the Calgary market from other Montana towns is
increasing.
• STR reports for January and February were down, numbers are under review to analyze
why the shift downward occurred for those two months.
• Forecasts for June look busy with the 3 Blind Refs Tournament, Herd Bull Powwow, and
the Soccer Showcase taking place.
d. Group, M&C Updates
• A list of future conferences and events has been added to the board packet
• M&C bookings for 2020 are looking strong
• The CVB is going to submit an RFP for the Outdoor Media Summit, a conference in May of
2020. This group would be new to Montana and sounds like a good fit for Kalispell.
Financial support for the conference would be requested from MOTBD and Glacier Country.
e. Discussion of 2019 state legislature bills impacting hotels and tourism . Diane briefed the board on
tourism related bills in Joe's absence.
• HB 661 —Aviation fuel tax for community airports to help fund rural airports. Airlines
oppose. The bill may pose a threat to traction gained in attracting new flights.
• SB24 - raises motor vehicle registration fee from $6 to $9 with increases to go to the grant
program for trail development.
• An increase in bed tax to 8% looks likely with additional funds raised going to aquatic
invasive species programs and governor's initiatives.
Other updates:
Scott Rieke encourages TBID properties to maintain rate integrity and retain ADR at high season level
extending into September and October.
Meeting was adjourned at 4:27 pm.
Respectfully Submitted: Diane Medler
For Further Information, please contact:
Diane Medler, CVB Director, diane@discoverkalispell.com or 406-758-2808